SoCal Weekend Recap – July 7th

In Friday’s article, I mentioned how there were some boats that had some good hits during the week. A lot of you went out over the weekend to get in on the action. For the most part it was good, but maybe fell a little short of the expectation built by the counts of the week. Let’s try to keep in mind some perspective. It’s still just the beginning of July.

I still saw some really encouraging things happening offshore and am very bullish about where this season is headed. The boats have yet to post huge numbers, but the counts are solid and the grade of fish is nice. Big fish are around too, offering a chance at greatness!

A common thread in the stories I’m hearing is that one big stop is making a lot of these trips.

That being the case, I’m still recommending 1.5 day or longer to increase your odds you have that one good stop.

My buddy Glenn Allen Jr. is a good example. Glenn (see above) went on an overnight trip leaving Friday night on the Grande out of Point Loma Sportfishing. Final count for the trip was 29 yellowfin, 7 bluefin, and 1 yellowtail. Glenn did well, getting 1 bluefin, 2 yellowfin and the lone yellowtail. The bulk of the count however came on one stop that yielded most of the yellowfin. They also hooked a marlin on that trip! It came on a long soak, on a sardine. The angler managed to hang on for 30 minutes before pulling the hook.

One of the better hits for the weekend came on the New Lo-An (also out of Point Loma Sportfishing). Saturday, the NLA had a 1.5-day trip that yielded 66 bluefin, 8 yellowfin and 2 dorado. They came back in Monday morning with a much smaller count, but the big one DID NOT get away with the jackpot fish weighing in at 125-pounds!

For yellowtail, opportunities abound, but the boat to be on last weekend was The San Diego out of Seaforth. They averaged about 200 fish a day over the weekend! Maybe more amazing is the boat is going out less than full because of the passport situation.

For white seabass, the Channel Islands are still your best bet. It’s far from wide open, but you’ll get your shots. The Pacific Islander had a solid outing Sunday that included 6 white seabass, 2 halibut and assorted bottom grabbers. My buddy, Manuel Ortiz Tobias was one of the lucky ones, with the nice seabass pictured below.

Make your plans for the weekend, it’s definitely getting good out there.

Joe Sarmiento is the founder and primary writer of the So Cal Salty blog. The blog covers saltwater fishing, primarily aboard the many sportfishing boats of Southern California. In addition to writing his blog, Joe's writing has appeared in Western Outdoor News, The Log and Griffin Media. Joe is the father of Jacob and Juliana, and enjoys cooking and eating his catch.